YESSS

This post is more for people who I am not friends with on Facebook, but who do follow this blog.

Today my passport came back, Korean Visa and all! :D And under 'Entries' I have a beautiful 'M'. You can either have a S or a M, with S standing for Single and M standing for Multiple. This means that on breaks I can leave Korea and visit Japan, Thailand, wherever, and still get back into the country. If I had a single entry visa, I would not be able to leave if I wanted to come back without applying for a whole new visa.

What's really great is that I thought I would need to apply for a multiple entry visa once I got into Korea, and pay an additional amount. I didn't request a multiple entry visa, but since I wanted one, I am really glad I have one!

And so here I am, less than a week away from leaving the States for South Korea. I am packed, going to sleep at seven in the morning (next week it will be eight!), and as prepared as I think I can be right now. All I am waiting on is my Form 8802 response, which just exempts me from paying Korean taxes because I will be paying taxes on my earnings in the States. They sent me a letter stating they received my request early January and that within 30 days from February 21 I would get the letter that I actually need to bring to Korea. I hope it gets here before I leave. If it doesn't, I will have to have it sent to my address in Korea. Thankfully I just need to bring it to my school within the first month. I don't understand why it is taking so long, though, because the maximum time they said it should take for a response is 45 days. Ah, oh well...

I'm really excited, and in a really good place, mentally. I absolutely cannot wait for this new chapter in my life :) Things are looking good!

I'm about to have my dad weigh my suitcase. It's wider than our scale, and I don't want to try to lift it while standing on the scale. So here we go. Wish me luck!


**UPDATE** We believe the suitcase weighs 49.5 lbs. Also, this is the most helpful website I have come across in a long time: WAYGOOK.ORG has forums with people who sincerely know what they are talking about, and offer help and answers on topics ranging from life in Korea to vacation time at your school.